(Image Credit: submitted/RCMP)

By meadowlakeNOW Staff

SIRT

Sask. watchdog says tear gas used before man’s death on Onion Lake Cree Nation

Mar 23, 2026 | 12:16 PM

Saskatchewan’s police watchdog says RCMP deployed tear gas before a man was found injured and later died during an emergency response on Onion Lake Cree Nation, as new details emerge about the March 18 incident.

The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) said it has launched an investigation after being notified at approximately 3:52 p.m. that an individual had been located injured following contact with RCMP officers.

According to the agency, RCMP first received multiple calls around 8:18 a.m. reporting a woman was being confined inside a residence by her former domestic partner, a 42-year-old man believed to be armed with a firearm.

Officers from the RCMP arrived shortly after and established containment around the home. The woman was able to leave the residence at about 9 a.m., while the man remained inside.

Additional RCMP resources, including the Emergency Response Team and crisis negotiators, were deployed and attempted throughout the day to have the man exit. SIRT said tear gas was deployed inside the residence in the mid-afternoon.

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After the man did not come out, Emergency Response Team members approached the home and observed him injured inside. He was removed from the house and given first aid by RCMP and emergency medical services personnel who had been staged nearby.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 4:43 p.m.

SIRT said three firearms were recovered from the residence, including a rifle with a spent shell casing in the chamber. The weapons have been secured as exhibits for both the watchdog’s investigation and the RCMP’s ongoing probe.

While the Onion Lake RCMP detachment is based in Saskatchewan, the incident scene was located just across the provincial boundary in Alberta. As a result, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been notified, with three investigators assigned to assist.

SIRT said its investigation will examine the conduct of police, including the circumstances surrounding the man’s death. The RCMP will continue to investigate the original complaint and the man’s actions during the incident.

A community liaison will be appointed as part of the process, and SIRT said “no further information will be released at this time. A final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending.”

SIRT’s mandate includes investigating cases of serious injury or death involving police, whether on or off duty, as well as incidents involving individuals in police custody.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com